The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum on Tuesday directed the Tangedco not to disconnect the electricity connection of S. Manjula of K.P.M. Nagar in Hasthampatti here.
Ms. Majula had paid the electricity consumption charges of her house for the last 10 years till December 9, 2014. On February 10, 2015, a Tangedco official found the meter in the house faulty, wrote ‘struck up’ in the consumption card, and left.
Without informing her, officials replaced the old meter with a new one.
She was not informed of the power consumption charge for the two-month period too.
When she inquired with engineers at Tangedco’s Hasthampatti office, she was asked to pay Rs. 2,904 as consumption charges, and Rs. 2,904 as arrears for the above period.
She was warned that the connection would be disconnected and a fine would be imposed on her for every day, if she failed to pay the amount.
She approached the Tamil Nadu Consumer and Public Rights Vigilance Committee chairman S. Selvam who filed a case against Tangedco in the consumer forum. It was pointed out that Tangedco officials did not sent the meter for examination to know the power consumption reading. Instead, they had fixed the consumption charges based on assumption. Hence she should be paid compensation.
R. Ganesan, president of the forum, and S. Rajalakshmi, member, heard the petition.
They ordered Tangedco not to disconnect the service connection till the petition is disposed.
